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Petulance could cost Arsenal's Wilshere more than just 2 games

A petulant display by Arsenal's Jack Wilshere - for giving Manchester City fans the finger after that defeat last week - has predictably resulted in a 2 match ban. He now misses vital derby games against Chelsea and West Ham. Arsene Wenger must be livid.

But Wilshere's childish and irresponsible behaviour could end up costing him more than a 2 match ban. If he is not careful, the Arsenal midfielder could well end up missing out on a trip to Brazil with the England team at season's end.

By no means a shoo-in for the World Cup, there remain big question marks about Wilshere's temperament - is the 21-year-old mature enough to make the journey, and can he be trusted not to do something stupid and get sent off if he is selected and plays ?

We've already seen the young Arsenal star arrested in 2010 after a so-called early-hours fracas (to be fair, he wasn't charged), and Wilshere had to accept a police warning the following year after allegedly spitting at a taxi driver.

Earlier this season, of course, we had that ill-advised 'cigarette' incident, and now he has let his Arsenal team mates down by his actions at the Etihad. England manager Roy Hodgson will no doubt bear in mind Wilshere's track record off the field when he names his 23-man World Cup squad. And one thing is sure - the Arsenal playmaker needs to start making the headlines on the field, and cannot afford to be hitting the back pages again this season for the wrong reasons.